Improvement in car-couplings



l. SHERMAN. A[Jar-Couplings.

N0.155,Q85, Patented Oct. 13,1874.

6em/6 w @A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH SHERMAN, OF BRISTOL, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 155,985, dated October 13,1874; application filed March 23, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH SHERMAN, of Bristol, Bucks county,Pennsylvania, have i11- vented an Improved Oar-Coupling, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to convert, at a trilling cost, an ordinary car-coupling into an automatic coupling; and I attain this object by providing the coupling-pin A with trunnions a, adapted to elongated staples B, secured to the top of the draw-head B; by slotting the said draw-head at b and d, so as to permit the pin to swing freely on its trunnions; and by securing a forked spring-plate, F, to the interior of the draw-head for the support of the link G, all as fully described hereafter and as illustrated by the elevation, Figure l, and plan view, Fig. 2, of the accompanying drawing, both views being partly in section.

Various effective automatic car-couplings have been devised; but their great cost, and the necessity of removing and discarding the ordinary couplings in applying them to old cars, has prevented their general adoption.

In my improved coupling', the ordinary coupling-pin A, draw-head D, and link G are retained, andthe only new parts employed are the cross-piece a, welded to the front edge of the pin to form trunnions for the same, the elongated staples B secured to the top of the draw-head, and the forked spring-plate F within the latter. rIhe slots b and d in the draw-head are formed by cutting away the metal at the rear edges of the ordinary holes for the coupling-pin, so that the bearing-points m x of the latter remain unchanged. The spring-plate F extends forward nearly to the mouth of the draw-head, and is forked so as not to interfere with the free swinging movement of the coupling-pin, the said plate being also bent upward at its outer end so as to facilitate the introduction of the link beneath the same.

In coupling two cars the link is held in a horizontal or nearly horizontal position by the spring-plate F of one draw-head, as shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 1, and the cars are then brought together, when the outer end of the said lilik will enter the opposite draw- .head, as shown at the right-hand side of Fig. 1, and will strike, turn, and pass to the rear of the pin A', which will then drop to its original position, and thus complete the coupling.

I am aware that a swinging pin which will yield to the pressure of the link and permit the latter to pass behind it has been used; but the trunnions have always, in such a case, been adapted to ordinary bearings, in which they simply turned whereas in my invention the said trunnions have a rolling or sliding movement in elongated bearings. For instance, when the pin A is lifted or turned by the link its trunnions et will roll or slide forward in the direction of the arrow through the elongated staples B, and will, consequently, draw the lower end of the pin forward to a corresponding extent, and thus permit the ordinaryLshort link to be used; whereas, if the trunnions turned iu xed bearings, the end ot' the pin would, when raised, occupy the position shown in dotted lines, and this would necessitatethe employment of a special link of greater length than usual.

l claim as my invention- The combination of the coupling-pin A and its trunnions a with the draw-head D, elongated staples B, in which the trunnions slide horizontally, and slots b and d, as set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH SHERMAN.

Witnesses:

WM. A. STEEL, HUBERT HowsoN. 

